MakeUseOf » government

How To Participate In An Internet Blackout (Like The SOPA Protest)

Angela Alcorn — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:31:30 +0000

You may have noticed on January 18th that plenty of big websites participated in an Internet blackout as a protest of the US government’s proposed SOPA legislation. Despite the SOPA plans being dropped for now, there are still numerous similar acts of legislation being proposed across the world.

If you’re planning on supporting future protests, or just generally curious, you might like to know what Google recommends you do in order to ensure your search rankings aren’t affected in any way while you are protesting. We’ll also let you know the quickest and easiest ways to black out your site.

Use A 503 HTTP Status Code

Google representative Pierre Far suggests that an HTTP status code of 503 is important in order to tell Google that this isn’t your normal page content. Generally this is used when the site is offline for server updates, but it works equally well for protesting.

The reasoning behind this can be seen easily if you consider that Google originally saw that you had a page full of, say, cat pictures and great content about cats. If they then crawl the site and the page says “We’re currently participating in an internet blackout as a protest” it looks to Google as if your page is a pretty awful resource when it comes to cats. Your site would drop in the pagerank system for cat information, which is probably not an ideal situation for your site.

Also, if all of your pages say the same thing, Google is going to think your content is duplicated all over your site and that you’re some sort of spam site. You really don’t want this!

Basically, the 503 HTML status says to the crawler “Hold on, this page is not what it normally is, so come back later”.

What Not To Do

To return the 503 error, it’s not advised to edit your robots.txt file as a robots.txt file change will ensure your site will not be indexed for a few days afterwards. Changing your DNS settings is also not advised. Basically, don’t do anything that takes a long time to change, to take effect or to revert.

Creating A 503 HTML Status Code For Your Site Using PHP

As long as you have access to your root directory for your website, this is a really easy process. Open up your favourite text editor and write this:


header('HTTP/1.1 503 Service Temporarily Unavailable');
header('Status: 503 Service Temporarily Unavailable');
header('Retry-After: 3600');
?>


503 Service Temporarily Unavailable

Service Temporarily Unavailable
We're currently participating in an internet blackout as a protest. 
Please try again later.

Then save your file as 503.php and drop it into your site’s root directory.

Obviously, you can change the human-read text to whatever your message is, including images and regular HTML elements.

A Quick WordPress Plugin To Black Out Your Site

For the SOPA blackout there was a handy WordPress plugin to black out your site. However it used a 302 redirect status code rather than the recommended 503 status code. If you want to know more about the SEO effect of using a 302 rather than a 503, read this article by Matt Cutts.

Despite this, if you’re not bothered by a bit of SEO damage, a plugin like this could allow you to quickly blackout your site without access to your root directory or without the need to learn too much technical detail.

This particular plugin was set to blackout just for the day of January 18th, but for future protests there will no doubt be more plugins available. Just search for one which uses a 503 status and you should be fine.

Let us know what other methods protestors could use on their sites if another Internet blackout is planned.

Image Credit: ShutterStock

9 Strange US Government Efforts To Make Use Of The Internet

Ryan Dube — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:01:17 +0000

I just want to make it very clear that I don’t intend to make fun of the US Government. I am an upstanding, patriotic citizen of the United States. Honest. In fact, here at MUO we have a very wide assortment of articles that promote some of the best online resources that the US Government has to offer, such as Mark’s list of 5 awesome government websites, or my list of data mashups offered at government websites.

With that said, I do have a very personal, intense dislike of bureaucracy and lack of common sense. So even though there are plenty of great websites and online resources offered by the US Government, there are also a whole lot of silly online sites as well. In some cases, the waste of resources is so blatant that US taxpayers should be outraged.

Entertaining Or “Educating” Children?

If you’re read the book 1984 by George Orwell, then you know how creepy it is to see any government in the world attempting to “educate” children. Visions of brainwashing and propaganda come to mind. Those of you that were students during the Cold War will remember the whole “Duck and Cover” campaign.

Well now that there’s terrorism, hurricanes and pandemic diseases to fear, the US Government is busy getting Americans “ready” for any catastrophe with Ready.gov. The creepiest part of the U.S. government site is the “Ready Kids” area that educates kids about all of the threats families can face and must be prepared for.

Yet another government agency that has no clue when it comes to communicating with children is the US Treasury. On the Treasury’s website for kids called TreasuryDirect Kids, you’ll find all sorts of explanations and definitions that no child younger than 18 would be likely to even understand.

It seems inconceivable to me that the folks putting together this page truly think it’s okay to use a phrase like “inflation-protected securities” on a website meant for small children to learn about the Treasury. I mean, seriously?

Then there’s the other extreme over at Census.gov, where the wonderful, intelligent folks that conduct the US Census figured they’d follow the trend of other government agencies and offer a section of their website for kids as well. There, kids will find a cute little game where they can….well….count things.

I don’t know – that just struck me as really funny.

Finally, one more website for older kids – college-aged kids to be exact – is a US Government website called CollegeDrinkingPrevention.org. While the concept is commendable, the entire premise of the website is just silly.

Yes, it is a great idea to educate college students about the dangers of drinking too much alcohol, but do you really think college students are going to visit a government website to watch goofy videos, or read a list of “Fact About Alcohol Poisoning?”

Silly & Wasteful Government Websites

Beyond the sites for kids, there are also lots of US Government websites intended for adults that are just as pointless and silly. One example, from the US Geological Survey is actually kind of scary. The USGS decided to provide a webpage where people could submit ideas about how to solve the Earth’s problem of over-population.

I’m actually afraid to learn what sort of “creative” suggestions people submitted to the USGS using the forms on this website.

Now, here’s a quick pop quiz. Do you know who prints US currency? The US Federal Reserve? The US Mint? No and no. It’s actually an obscure agency called the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

This website treats the production of US currency as though it’s some sort of business – complete with monthly production reports, and even an online store where you can buy limited edition currency. Seriously.

Then there’s probably the funniest government website of all, the Office of Government Ethics. It is the Office that comes up with the ethical rules and guidelines that politicians in the Executive Branch of government must follow.

Why is it such a funny site? Simple – because it’s one website that you can be sure most US politicians never visit.

Here’s pop-quiz #2: Do you remember Ronald Reagan’s famous “Star Wars” missile defense initiative? It was the talk of the day in the 1980s, and then as the years passed, you started to hear less and less about it. Well – just so you know – the entire initiative is alive and well in the Missile Defense Agency.

The Cold War may be over, but these folks at the DoD are working diligently on next generation interceptor missiles that can take out ballistic missiles. If you are looking to start your own ballistic missile business, the website has an entire “Business Opportunities” section, just for you.

The last site I wanted to cover is one that freaked me out a little bit. If you are a fan of Spongebob Squarepants (the popular children’s cartoon), then you may recall Plankton’s “evil plan Z” to take over the entire world. Well, the Department of Defense “Unified Command Plan” webpage looks to me like the US version of that plan.

You’ve got the “combatant commanders” covering each region of the world. It’s like one big world map of global domination.

Okay, maybe I’m being a bit sarcastic and overly critical of these websites. However, in all seriousness, is it really smart to be tossing money and resources into some of these government websites when there are so many major issues facing the country and the world? Shouldn’t the choice and development of government websites be at least a little bit more efficient and well thought out?

What’s your opinion about US Government websites, or some examples of silly government websites for your own country? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Photo credit: Boris15

7 Almost Unknown Google Search Engines You Should Use

Ted Nash — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:01:12 +0000

Last week we covered some fun Google Easter Eggs, that you can find while browsing the site. This week, to take a more academic approach, we are going to cover 7 almost unknown specialized Google search engines that can be used for specialized consumer and academic research.

Also included in this realm, but not within this post are Google Video, Pictures, News and Blogs which most users will already be familiar with so we have not included them in the list below.

Google Patent Search

Its amazing that a database like this exists, but most people don’t even know about it. Google has taken it upon themselves to fully index and cross-reference over 7 million patents of past and present. Complete with drawings, cross references and similarities to other patents, there are many lifetimes of explorations to be had.

For example, you can see Albert Einstein’s patent application for a blouse or John Logie Baird’s application for the device which would later go on to become the world’s first television set. There are many more.

Google Scholar

Google Scholar is an interesting experiment with mixed results as it can bring you information about books and academic articles related to your topic of deep query. However sometimes the results that it finds will either be behind an academic password/pay wall or be a link to a book which is not available online. Nevertheless it is a great research point for deep interest on a subject.

Google Books

Already known to many, Google Books has taken the liberty to scan and partially make available online thousands of books. Their system is very interesting as they allow you to view certain pages of a book at any one time (usually about 20% of the book).

However if you really want to see the book and not buy it through one of Google’s affiliate links then you can reload the page from a different IP address and different sections of the book will show up. Keep doing this until you get the whole work. Also note that they have quite the database of magazines as well under similar terms.

Google Catalogs

Yes they are mad information monsters. Google has went ahead and scanned almost every print catalog they can find. Need to check that Sears Catalog and don’t have your copy handy? Don’t worry Google has it all ready for you online.

Google Products

Yes, Google has a price comparison engine as well. Enter any product that you are looking for and Google will show you hundreds of places to buy it and the lowest price. They just want the whole pie.

Google University Search

Not as much as a custom database as the others, but more of a help for students and faculty. Google University Search allows easy filtering and searching of resources from various US Universities.

US Government Search

Not of much use to our friends overseas, though don’t worry, I am sure they are indexing as we speak. Google has a specially filtered US Government search engine to help you find that information you need without all the noise.

What sources do you use (can be non-Google) to research and find specialty information? Do you use a source that does the job better than the engines mentioned above? If so please leave it in the comment section.

Google picture by Gonzalo FernÃ¡ndez

5 smoking-hot US Government Websites Worth Looking At

Mark O'Neill — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 23:20:16 +0000

OK, you can quit yawning. As soon as you heard the phrase “US Government websites”, you probably thought I was going to take you on a riveting ride through the complexities of the Internal Revenue Service. Au contraire, mon ami. Perhaps you didn’t realise until now that there are actually some really smoking hot websites built and maintained by the US Federal Government with your tax dollars.

1. Federal Bureau of Investigation

Being a true-crime fan, the FBI website is a regular stop for me. Not only does the FBI use their site as a recruitment tool but they also discuss closed cases and they take you “behind the scenes” so to speak to let you see how the Feds cracked the case. Here is a good example.

You can also learn about the various FBI departments, the history of the FBI, and of course view the famous Most Wanted Lists.

But what really makes the FBI website stand out is how much you can download. Scattered throughout the site are PDF downloads of cases, forensic science subjects and much more. All now we need is a FBI badge generator and an alien costume and we can play Mulder and Scully!

2. Central Intelligence Agency

At first glance, you might think there isn’t much to the CIA website but there are some interesting sections.

For example, take a virtual tour through CIA Headquarters, view an encrypted monument at Langley to see if you can break the code, go on a virtual tour around the CIA Museum, but the best feature of all is the annually updated CIA World Factbook. Never be bad at geography ever again. You can even download a copy of the Factbook free of charge.

But if you’re looking for files on who killed JFK, you’ll be disappointed.

3. Library of Congress

One of the most famous libraries in the world and now it’s online. Browse through documents and collections. “American Memory” provides access to documents, maps, audio, video and photos. Search through past and current legislation making its way through Congress. Oh and if you’re planning a personal visit to the LOC, check out what they are currently exhibiting.

4. National Archives

For those with an interest in history, this site is a must-go-to. The amount of information available here to view and to download is just staggering. So it’s impossible to cover it all here. A few highlights though -

View and download a high-resolution scan of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.

Make online visits to the Presidential Libraries, view the documents of the White House and subscribe by RSS feed to “Document of the Day”.

5. NASA

As well as a true-crime fan, I am also a Trekkie, so NASA is another of my favourite websites. View the Interactive Features section to see space-related material including photos, slide shows, videos and podcasts. Subscribe by RSS feed to “NASA Image of the Day”, view the NASA World Book and read up on past and current missions. One small step for me, one big download for my PC.

Do you have a favourite government website not included in the list above? Tell us about it in the comments!

Posted by Mark O’Neill